Swiss govt says to freeze assets of Ben Ali, Gbagbo

The Swiss government plans to freeze assets belonging to Tunisia’s former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali as well as those of Ivory Coast’s incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, the Swiss foreign minister said on Wednesday.

“The government decided at its meeting today to freeze any funds in Switzerland of the ex-Tunisian President and his entourage with immediate effect,” Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said at a news conference.